DK2279141T3

DK2279141T3 - Shelving with automatic warehouse registration

Info

Publication number: DK2279141T3
Application number: DK09730082.6T
Authority: DK
Inventors: Franz Walter
Original assignee: Hänel & Co
Priority date: 2008-04-11
Filing date: 2009-04-02
Publication date: 2016-08-22
Also published as: US9205980B2; WO2009124878A1; DE102008018436B4; EP2279141A1; CN102056822B; US20110035045A1; EP2279141B1; DE102008018436A1; ES2582565T3; PL2279141T3; CN102056822A

Description

The invention relates to a storage rack according to the preamble of claim 1 with a multiplicity of beam supports arranged on top of each other for supporting carriers which can be moved by means of an automatic charging and withdrawal device. The storage rack has at least one access opening for supplying and removing the carriers, and comprises a calculator wherein information about the stored goods is stored. The storage rack is provided with at least one image pickup device which is suitable for optical recording of the goods placed on the carriers and is able to produce digital image information wherein the digital image information can be stored in the calculator and recalled by means of a display unit. A selection device which uses the digital image information to allow selection of a carrier and movement thereof to the access opening by means of the calculator is associated with the display unit. Furthermore, the invention relates to a method for storing or removing storage product in a storage rack of this type.

Storage racks of said type are known from prior art under the designation “vertical lift”. In such storage racks, for storing or removing storage product a carrier is moved to the access opening in each case. As soon as the carrier is available in the access opening, the operator may insert storage product into the carrier or remove them from the carrier. DE 100 13 092 A1 discloses an automatic storage shelf of the above kind having an access opening for feeding, removing and supplying storage product carriers. An image of the storage product carriers which can be shown to an operator is made before storing in order to view the content and the load condition of a storage product carrier.

Modern storage shelves of the type mentioned above are provided with a control system which serves for stockkeeping and wherein information is stored about which storage product are stored in which carrier. This allows for the respective carrier to be easily found by the operator.

In order to simplify stockkeeping, DE 198 28 659 A1 proposes to provide light barriers registering removal of items from the containers and notifying a control unit of such removal of items in a storage rack with fixed storage rack floor sheets on which containers for storing goods are placed.

According to DE 43 18 341 A1 a method for storage and removal of cuboid shaped storage product and a device for performing this method have been disclosed. In this method pharmaceutical products in cuboid shaped packages are separated on a conveyor belt. Recognition of a bar code on the sides of the package will then be attempted by means of detection devices. In a further step, height, width and length of the separate packages are detected. In a control unit, a storage plan for storage drawers is stored. By comparing this storage plan with the detected size of separate packages a free storage space on one of the drawers is selected. The package with the pharmaceutical product is then moved to this location. There is no operator interaction intended with the drawers, as in such a case the occupancy data stored in the control unit would not be updated and selection of free storage space would therefore return faulty results. DE 201 21 417 U1 discloses a storage rack having most of the characteristics mentioned at the beginning. An image sensing program stored in the computer is capable of generating a raster system which allows detection and display of free storage places in carriers.

The object of the invention is to accelerate the storage operation in a storage rack of the type mentioned above and to simplify stockkeeping and detection of free storage spaces.

In order to achieve this object, a storage rack according to claim 1 is proposed.

Advantageous embodiments of the storage rack according to the present invention are subject of subclaims 2 through 8.

In the storage rack according to the present invention the storage space occupied by newly stored storage product is automatically detected and noted in the data about stored storage product. Likewise, free storage spaces are detected by the calculator based on the digital image data. This has the advantage that free storage spaces are recognized even if the storage product has slipped in the carriers. Furthermore, a precisely located storage is no longer necessary to allow detection of free storage spaces and the storage rack can be filled with storage product of any shape.

The storage rack according to the present invention will obviate the need for the operator to enter into the calculator at which location in the carrier moved to the access opening the newly stored storage product has been placed. Likewise, when storage product is removed there is no need to enter the previous storage location of the storage product into the calculator. Furthermore, the selection of a carrier having a suitably large free storage space is simplified. The storage operation is thus accelerated and reliability of stored data concerning the occupancy situation is increased.

The storage rack may comprise a contactless detection unit for recognition of storage product. As there is no need for the operator to manually enter an identification of the storage product any more, this also accelerates storage or removal operation and increases reliability of available data.

The storage product may comprise a wireless transponder device for identification purposes and the storage rack may be provided with a communication device for wireless transponders designed to transfer identification data to the calculator.

Advantageously, the wireless transponder device comprises an RFID label. Various examples of such labels are known from prior art and they are available in various shapes. Especially, such labels can be found as small adhesive labels having low weight and volume as well as being easy to handle.

The communication device may be provided with an RFID receiver unit. Such an RFID receiver unit provides the possibility to detect all objects marked by means of an RFID label in the area of the access opening and/or in the area of the carrier in a contactless manner and without the need for optical accessibility, as is necessary for the detection of bar codes.

In order to determine a free storage space the calculator may be provided with a size data storage containing data for storage space requirements of certain storage product. This will increase accuracy of a suggestion for a free storage place to store storage product.

The display unit can be designed to display a preview of the free storage space that has been determined. This allows orientation for the operator on the carrier even while the carrier is being removed from the storage rack and is being moved to the access opening, thus shortening search for free storage space on the carrier.

For communication between its units the storage rack is provided with a LAN or a CAN bus. This type of communication channels can be operated reliably and with low failure rate in an industrial environment.

Furthermore, a method according to claim 9 for storage or removal storage product in a storage rack according to the present invention is suggested.

The method according to the present invention allows for reliable update of storage information thus minimizing the influence of operator errors.

Advantageous embodiments of the method are subject of claims 10 through 20.

By means of the display unit the storage space determined by the calculator on storage can be displayed to and rejected by an operator, in which case another free storage space will subsequently be determined. This allows for verification of the suggested storage space.

The storage space of the storage product determined by the calculator on removal can be displayed to an operator by means of the display unit. Thus, the operator can find the storage space on the carrier more easily.

Advantageously, the image data processing device will split the digital image data into a raster the raster elements of which can be marked as free or occupied in the storage information. This will decrease the effort needed for processing image data, thus allowing for inexpensive and energy efficient parts to be used for the calculator and the image data processing device.

To reconcile storage information the image pickup device may capture and transfer one image of the carrier before and following storage or removal to the image archive storage respectively. This will provide a record of which changes have been made to the carrier by the operator.

The image data processing device can generate a difference for each pixel of a raster element between the pixel of the image captured before storage or removal and the pixel of the image captured after storage or removal and total the differences within a raster element to calculate a similarity value. This enables the image data processing device to detect in which raster elements changes have occurred due to storage or removal.

The image data processing device is furthermore able to perform a process for detecting free raster elements where a percentage of pixels with color values which are within an identification range is determined and the raster element is marked as unoccupied if the percentage exceeds a defined threshold value. This allows detection of free space, especially on newly inserted carriers, without the need to use archived image data.

In an embodiment of the method the image pickup device performs the method to detect free raster elements for each raster element of a carrier.

Advantageously, the calculator comprises a data base wherein storage locations and/or storage quantities of storage product are saved. Thus, once storage product has been stored they can be recovered easily.

In order to reconcile storage information the calculator is able to store the storage location determined using the digital image information and the identification of the stored storage product in the data base. Thus, it is no longer necessary to re-run the time consuming image data processing for each request for a free storage space or certain storage product.

The calculator is able to generate a list of storage product contained in the carrier before and after the storage or removal operation and determine the storage product removed and stored by a comparison of the lists. This further increases reliability of the data base.

To accomplish the object of the invention a computer program product for performing the method according to one of claims 9 through 20 is furthermore suggested which is designed to be executed in the calculator and/or the image data processing device and/or the image data archive storage.

Details and further advantages of the storage rack according to the present invention will be apparent from the following description of a preferred example of an embodiment. The drawings are designed solely for purposes of schematical illustration of the embodiment of the invention, showing:

Fig. 1 a storage rack with sensing, display, and processing units;

Fig. 2 a block diagram of the calculator;

Fig. 3 a flow chart to illustrate a storage or removal operation;

Fig. 4 a flow chart with a process to detect changes in a carrier;

Fig. 5a a photo of a carrier before a storage operation with a raster;

Fig. 5b a photo as in Fig. 5a after a storage operation and

Fig. 6 a flow chart depicting a method for detecting free storage space.

The storage rack 10 shown in Figure 1 comprises two modules 11a and 11b which are located spaced apart from each other. The modules 11a, 11b comprise a plurality of beam supports 14 which are located in pairs spaced apart from each other on opposing side walls. The beam supports 14 serve to support trough shaped carriers 15 wherein storage product 17 is contained.

Between modules 11a, 11b a conveyor space 12 is provided wherein a moveable automatic charging and withdrawal device 13 is located by which the carriers can be moved.

Module 11b is provided with an access opening 18 through which the carriers 15 can be loaded or removed. Likewise, it is possible to remove storage product 17 from a carrier 15 which has been moved to the access opening 18 and/or store them in it. A calculator 20 which inter alia serves to control the storage rack 10 is associated with the storage rack 10. An operator device 22 located at the storage rack 10 and an independently operable visual inspection station 23 are linked to the calculator 20 by means of a LAN 21, i.e. a local computer network.

An image pickup device 24 consisting of a digital camera is located in a top face 19 of the access opening 18. The digital camera 24 is positioned to al low registration of a carrier 15 which has been moved to the access opening 18 in its entirety.

For transfer of digital image data to the calculator 20, the digital camera 24 is linked thereto by means of the LAN 21. A contactless recording device consisting of an RFID receiver 26 is also connected to the LAN 21. The storage product 17 is provided with RFID labels 27, thus allowing the storage product 17 to be identified by the RFID receiver 26.

The calculator 20 depicted in Figure 2 is connected to the LAN 21 by means of a communication interface 30. The calculator 20 is thus able to exchange data with the RFID receiver 26, the digital camera 24 and a display device 28 over the LAN 21. Furthermore, the automatic charging and withdrawal device 13 can be accessed by means of the LAN 21 (not shown herein).

The operator device 22 is associated with a control unit (not shown) to control the automatic charging and withdrawal device 13 which is responsible for controlling removal and supply of the carriers 15. The calculator 20 can communicate with this control unit and is thus relieved from directly controlling the mechanics of the storage rack 10. This control unit also allows operating the storage rack 10 by means of the operator device 22 without the calculator 20.

The calculator 20 comprises a central processing unit 31 which is linked to a data memory 33 by means of a storage interface 32. Parts of the data memory 33 serve as image data archive 34, size data memory 35, storage data base 36 and as occupancy information memory 37.

The central processing unit 31 comprises an image data processing device 38 for processing the image data supplied by the digital camera 24. The im age data supplied by the digital camera 24 is stored in the image data archive 34 together with a metadata record. The metadata record, for example, contains information concerning the photographed carrier 15, date and time of the photo, information pertaining to whether the image was acquired before or after access by an operator as well as an identification code for the operator who has induced the carrier 15 to be moved to the access opening 15.

The size data memory 35 contains size and weight information for various storage product 17. Each type of storage product 17 is associated with a part number which allows, for example, to retrieve the size of the storage product 17 from the size data memory 35.

The part number can also be used to retrieve data pertaining to storage spaces of storage product 17 having a certain part number from the storage data base 36.

The occupancy information memory 37 contains information for each carrier 15 concerning which areas of the carrier 15 are occupied by storage product 17 and which areas are free.

Figure 3 shows the course of a storage operation in storage rack 10. During a first step 40 an operator identifies storage product 17a to be newly stored to the calculator 20. This will be accomplished by moving the RFID label 27 attached to the storage product 17a into the reception are of the RFID receiver 26. In case of storage product 17a which are too small or unsuitable for attaching an RFID label 27 identification may, for example, also be accomplished by entering a part number by means of the operator device 22 or the visual inspection station 23.

The operator also wears an RFID label 27 attached to his/her clothing transmitting the operator identity to the RFID receiver 26.

In a further step 41, the calculator 20 uses the identification of the storage product 17a to retrieve their size from the size data memory 35. The calculator 20 will subsequently search the occupancy information memory 37 for a free storage space of sufficient size. Once such storage space has been identified the carrier 15 with the free storage space will be moved to the access opening 18 in a further method step 42.

Once the carrier 15 has reached the access opening 18, the digital camera 24 will take a picture of the carrier 15 in a step 43. The image is transferred to the calculator 20 where it will be stored in the image data archive 34 in association with the information that this image shows a state before an operator action.

In step 44 the operator stores the storage product 17a in a free storage space in the carrier 15. A suggestion for free storage space is displayed on the operator device 22 for this purpose.

Once storage is completed this status will be entered by the operator by means of the operator device 22, inducing a picture of the carrier 15 to be taken and transferred to the calculator 20 by the digital camera 24 in a further processing step 45. The calculator 20 will store the image in the image data archive 34 in association with the information that it contains a state after an operator action.

In a compare step 46, the calculator 20 in association with its image data processing device 38 compares the pictures taken before and after the operator action and detects occupancy changes in the carrier.

Based on these detected changes, in a further step 47, the storage data base 36 and the occupancy information memory 37 are updated.

In order to detect the changes in the occupancy situation, the image data processing device 38 performs a method as shown in Figure 4. In a first step 50, the image data processing device 38 retrieves two images from the image data archive 34. The first image 39a shown in Figure 5a was taken before the storage operation, the second image 39b shown in Figure 5b was taken after the storage operation.

After these images 39a, 39b have been retrieved from the image data archive 34, a raster 38a will be superimposed on them by the image data processing device 38 in step 51.

In step 52, the image data processing device 38 selects a raster element to be processed. In step 53, a pixel by pixel comparison is performed between the raster element of picture 39a and the raster element of picture 39b. If the raster elements match with each other, as it is, for example, the case in elements A3 and G1, the occupancy status of the raster element in the occupancy information memory 37 will not be not changed in step 54a.

If, however, a change has occurred between picture 39a and picture 39b in the compared raster element, as it is the case in raster elements C4 through C6, the occupancy status of the raster element in the occupancy information memory 37 will be inverted in step 54b.

In a next step 55 the image data processing device 38 verifies whether all raster elements have been compared with each other. If this is not true the processing will be continued with a new raster element in step 52.

If, however, the last raster element has been compared, the detection of changes will be completed.

In order to further improve detection of free storage space the image data processing device 38 additionally performs the method shown in figure 6. For this purpose, the image data processing device 38 first retrieves picture 39b, which was taken after the storage operation from the image data archive 34.

In a first step 60, the raster 38a is superimposed on the picture 39b. The image data processing device 38 selects a raster element for verification in step 61. In step 62 the image data processing device 38 detects the percentage of pixels of the raster element showing color values within an identification range.

The identification range is selected to ensure that the majority of the pixels in a raster element without storage product are within the identification range. If, for example, the floor of the carriers 15 is of white color, the identification range can be from 80% brightness to 100% brightness evenly for all colors. If, on the other hand, the floor of the carrier 15 is of black color, the range from 0% to 20% brightness is, for example, to be selected for the identification range. In case of a light green floor the identification range will, for example, be from 80%-100% for green and from 60%-90% for red and blue color respectively.

After determining the percentage of pixels within the identification range the image data processing device 38 compares the percentage with a reference value which, in this case, shall be 80%. Thus, if the color values of at least 80% of the pixels of the raster element are within the identification range the raster element is marked as unoccupied in step 63a. If, however, less than 80% of the color values of the pixels of the raster element are within the identification range, the raster element is marked as occupied in the occupancy information memory 37 in step 63b.

In a simplified version of the method the color values of the pixels can be converted into gray values before the comparison. Saving in necessary processing power accomplished by this will however be at the expense of accuracy in detecting free storage space.

In step 64, the image data processing device 38 verifies whether it has verified all raster elements. If this is not the case the method is continued with a new raster element in step 61. If, however, all raster elements have been processed the image data processing device 38 will terminate detection of free storage space.

In order to allow a positive determination of which storage product 17, 17a was stored or removed during a storage or removal operation, the RFID labels 27 of the storage product 17 contained in the carrier 15 are scanned before the storage or removal operation. The result is compared with the result of another scan performed after the storage or removal operation. New additional RFID labels 27 indicate newly stored storage product 17a while missing RFID labels 27 identify storage product 17 which has been removed.

The described method is also available as a computer program product designed to be executed on the calculator 20. In this case, the calculator 20 is a control computer for the storage rack 10. It would also be conceivable to provide an industrial PC with an interface for the storage rack 10 and for its charging and withdrawal device 13 respectively, as well as with an interface for LAN 21 and to execute an appropriate computer program product in such a calculator 20.

Instead of the LAN 21 a CAN bus may be provided for communication of the units with each other.

In case of the lens coverage of the digital camera 24 being insufficient to view the carrier 15 in its entirety several digital cameras 24 may be provided and separate images thereof can be assembled by image data processing device 38 into a complete image of the carrier 15.

The storage rack according to the present invention in association with the method according to the present invention provides a simple and reliable possibility to reduce operator errors and to accelerate the storage and removal operations in a storage rack 10.

List of reference signs 10 Storage rack 37 Occupancy information memory 11a Module 38 Image data processing device 11b Module 38a Raster 12 Conveyor space 39a Image 1 13 Charging and withdrawal 39b Image 2 device 14 Beam support 40-47 Method steps 15 Carrier 50-55 Method steps 17 Storage product 60-64 Method steps 17a Storage product 18 Access opening 19 Top face 20 Calculator

21 LAN 22 Operator device 23 Visual inspection station 24 Image pickup device (digital camera) 26 RFID receiver (contactless recording device) 27 RFID label 30 Communication interface 31 Central processing unit 32 Storage interface 33 Data memory 34 Image data archive memory 35 Size data memory 36 Storage data base

Claims

A storage shelf (10) having a plurality of support supports (14) arranged one above the other for supporting load carriers (15) which can be transported by means of an automatic supply and withdrawal device (13), with at least one access opening (18) for supplying and removing the storage carriers (15), with a computer (20) storing information on stored storage goods (17,17a), wherein at least one image recording device (24) is provided. suitable for optical recording of the storage goods (17, 17a) placed in the storage carriers (15), and may generate digital picture information therefrom, where the digital picture information is stored in the computer (20) and retrieved by a display device (22, 23 ), wherein the computer (20) comprises an image data archive memory (34) for archiving the digital image information of the storage carriers (15) and an image data processing device (38), characterized in that the display device (22) is assigned a selection device by which, by means of the digital image information, a storage cargo carrier (15) can be selected which can be inserted into the access opening (18) by the computer (20), the computer (20) comprising an image data archive memory (34) for archiving the digital image information of the storage carriers (15) in the image data archive memory (34), wherein the image is stored in the image data archive memory (34) by the computer (20) with information whether the image shows a state before or after a user operation in which the image data processing device (38 ) is designed to detect changes in the load situation of storage carriers (15) and / or to record free storage locations using the digital image information from the image data archive memory (34) using a comparison of image information recorded before and after a user action.

Storage rack according to claim 1, characterized in that the storage rack (10) comprises a contact-free recording device (26) for recording storage goods (17, 17a).

Storage rack according to claim 2, characterized in that the storage goods (17, 17a) for identification comprise a wireless transponder device and a storage device (10) is provided for the communication device for wireless transponders designed to transmit identification data to the computer (20). ).

Storage rack according to claim 3, characterized in that the wireless transponder device comprises an RFID tag (27).

Storage rack according to claim 3 or 4, characterized in that the communication device comprises an RFID receiving device (26).

Storage rack according to one of claims 1 to 5, characterized in that the computer (20) for determining a free storage space comprises a size data memory (35) with data indicating the storage needs of a storage goods (17,17a).

Storage rack according to one of the preceding claims, characterized in that the display device (22, 23) is designed to display a display of the determined free storage space.

Storage rack according to one of the preceding claims, characterized in that the storage rack (10) for communication between units comprises a LAN (21) and / or a CAN-Bus.

Method for storing or removing storage goods (17, 17a) in a storage rack (10) according to one of claims 1 to 8, characterized by the steps a. Identifying the storage goods (17, 17a) to be stored by an operator or by means of the contactless recording device; b. determining free storage space by means of the computer (20) from stored coating information or stored image data; c. driving the storage cargo carrier (15) with the determined free storage space into the access opening (18); d. storing the storage goods (17, 17a); e. recording an image (39a) of the storage cargo carrier (15) prior to storage or withdrawal; f. recording an image (39b) of the storage cargo carrier (15) after storage or removal; g. comparing the images (39a, 39b); h. characterizing engagement elements in the coating information memory (37) as free or coated based on the result of the comparison.

Method according to claim 9, characterized in that the storage space determined by the computer (20) during storage is displayed to an operator by the display device (22, 23) and can be rejected by the user, after which an additional free storage space is determined.

Method according to claim 9, characterized in that the storage space, which was determined by the computer (20) upon removal, is shown to an operator by means of the display device (22, 23).

Method according to one of Claims 10 or 11, characterized in that the image data processing device (38) divides the digital image data into a grid (38a), whose raster elements can be characterized as free or coated in a coating information memory (37).

Method according to claim 12, characterized in that the image recording device (38) for comparing the coating information memory (37) before and after storing or taking out captures an image (39a, 39b) of the storage goods carrier (15) and transfers it to the image data archive memory (34). ).

Method according to claim 13, characterized in that the image data processing device (38) for comparing the coating information memory (37) compares the raster elements in the image (39a) recorded before storage or removal with those in the image (39b) after storage or removal , and by a change in a grid element adjusts a coating status assigned to it.

Method according to claim 14, characterized in that the image data processing device (38) for each pixel of a raster element makes a difference between the pixel in the image (39a) recorded before storage or removal and the pixel in the image (39b) which was recorded after storage or sampling, and summarizes the differences in a raster element to calculate a similarity value.

Method according to one of claims 12 to 15, characterized in that the image guide detecting device (24) for detecting free raster elements performs a method with the following steps: a. Determining the proportion of pixels whose color values lie in an identification range; b. marking the raster element as uncoated when the proportion exceeds a defined limit value.

Method according to claim 16, characterized in that the image recording device (24) performs the method of registering free raster elements for each raster element of a storage goods carrier (15).

Method according to one of claims 9 to 17, characterized in that the computer (20) comprises a storage database (36) in which storage locations and / or storage quantities of the storage goods (17, 17a) are stored.

Method according to claim 18, related to claim 12, characterized in that the computer (20) compares the storage information memory (37) to the storage location determined by the digital image information and the identification of the storage goods (17) in the storage database. (36).

Method according to one of claims 18 or 19, characterized in that the computer (20) generates before and after storage or removal a list of the storage goods (17) contained in the storage goods carrier (15) and in comparing the lists determines the recovering and stored storage goods (17, 17a).

A computer program product for performing the method according to one of claims 9 to 20 in a storage rack according to one of claims 1 to 8, wherein the computer program product is performed by the computer (20).